Oscar-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood collaborated with our Comedy Issue guest editor, Judd Apatow, and photographer Mark Seliger, who shot the comedy portfolio, to create three Vanity Fair covers, all inspired by the golden age of variety-show television. But whom does each character represent, and how did Atwood divine the sartorial aspect for each allusion? We spoke to her about the brainstorming process, which stars gravitated to which costumes, and where Amy Poehler got that bling-y mini-dress—highlights from our chat:

Elien Becque: What was the conversation like when you were first conceptualizing this project?

Colleen Atwood: Judd [Apatow], Mark [Seliger], and I sat around and talked about our inspirations. These were mostly the old variety shows and the great comedians of the 60s and 70s. We had piles and piles of reference—we kept cross-pollinating Lily Tomlin, Goldie Hawn, and all the variety-show greats and the different hosts the shows had.
And how did you begin the process?

It was very chaotic. We had a lot of people to organize and our first [cover] group was in New York—Chris, Jerry, Kristen Wiig, and Ben Stiller—at that point we were coordinating colors and a mood, so we shot different options. You know, like two really good options each, so when it came together we’d have something good. Our inspiration for Ben was a kind of funny man and Kristen Wiig was a vague nod to Cher. Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld’s costumes morphed a bit in the process. At first Chris was going to be a bellman, but we decided that wasn’t right and his costume ended up just coming out of one of those moments. He’d come to the shoot looking incredibly cool, quietly well dressed. The costume was a huge transformation; he dressed, threw on the wig, and there he was! The costumes themselves were a combination of things I found in the rental houses—Kristen Wiig’s dress I found in Ret Turner, which is where Bob Mackie, who did the Carol Burnett Show, has his stuff. There’s so much there. Anyway, I thought the piece that ended up on the cover was fabulous. Though it wasn’t one of Bob’s costumes, I was so excited about it because it was so Cher—but fashion and Cher, you know?
Where did you get Seinfeld’s velvet pants?

Those velvet pants are from Western Costume Company, as is the jacket. I found the jacket first and I was like, “Oh my God. This is amazing.”
So, that was New York. Was the L.A. shoot just one crazy day?

I think it was two days. We weren’t sure who was going to turn up, so, yes, it was a little crazy. I had some vintage pieces, but I created Jim Carrey’s piece and Melissa’s piece. Her inspiration was Lily Tomlin’s Edith Ann character with the huge chair, but with the other people, that particular chair moment wasn’t as good as her moving around. She’s a great physical actress, and with her wacky hair and her lollipop it was gold. Mark really is amazing—he brings out people’s spirits. Then there was Jim! We ended up doing the Evil Knievel outfit and it looked so great on him. It kind of suited him and he just did crazy stuff in it. As for Will, we thought he’d be a dancing cowboy, our chorus cowboy. Will is great artist and an amazing person, and things just work with him—like, he’s a goofy cowboy but he’s really serious about being a goofy cowboy.
Amy Poehler is wearing this fantastic mirrored mini-dress—what is it?

Amy’s dress came from Universal. We’re pretty sure that back in the day it was one of those make-your-own Paco Rabanne dresses, the ones like tinker toys—we think it’s one of those, but there’s no authentication. We wanted her to be a sparkly Dusty Springfield meets the variety artist.
Leslie Mann is another variety-show reference—Laugh-In, in particular. Tell us about her look.

Leslie was, of course, inspired by Goldie Hawn. I mean, there’s a famous shot of Goldie with body paint and in that type of vintage suit. And Paul was just so smooth; he was definitely the host from the start. He worked variations on different themes; the cool hipster ’stache and the brocade jacket. As for Megan, we had so many things for her, but we really loved this belt and her little outfit, which was very Carol Burnett Show—the kind of musical variety shows where they had characters in costume. She’s a beautiful girl, so she pretty much looks great in everything.
Is working with actors on a photo shoot different from working with models?

All of them are very easy to style, because they have such presences. It’s not a fashion moment. You’re developing a character for them and they become what they’re wearing. It’s very different than a model.
What about Maya Rudolph?

Maya was amazing. Because we had so many great looks for this character, we wanted someone to be Cleopatra. Maya is such a goddess, and she was simply the right person to put in that costume. She’s amazing with movement, and she started dancing around—it really was comfortable for her to wear. They spent a lot of time creating her hair. The makeup was fun on her because everyone loves that Cleopatra look, and it’s true to that 70s vibe.
Is there a big difference between styling a cover shoot and doing costumes for a movie?

This isn’t like doing a movie at all. The idea of this is different—we did it quickly and that mirrors a TV variety show. On a variety show, the actors are very fast, and they come up with characters and do develop them, but sometimes the demands are huge, so the development and the styling happen really quickly. And that’s how it all came together for the Comedy Issue cover, as well. If you have enough things, the right people, and the right energies, you can make it work.